Mark Leslie is a writer, editor and bookseller who lives in Hamilton, Ontario. In 2005, Mark joined the blogging bandwagon and started posting random thoughts and musings on writing, bookselling and being a father.

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Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Summer Chills at Bakka-Phoenix

I'm quite delighted to be part of a group of Canadian horror authors who will be appearing at Bakka-Phoenix this coming Saturday at 3 PM for a "summer chills" event.

We'll each be signing some of our latest releases. Bakka-Phoenix is going to have copies of One Hand Screaming (my short story collection) as well as the sci-fi anthology I edited North of Infinity II.

While I'm excited that I'll be hanging out in such fine company as these are writers whose work I admire, I am particularly delighted that it will be at this venue where Carol and Michael and I launch our latest short story: Relic: How to Get Ahead in Retail. The chapbook, which will be limited to a 100 numbered copy print run was written specifically for this event. The story, which takes place at BK Books, a bookstore suspiciously similar to Bakka-Phoenix, Canada's oldest science fiction book shop, explores what happens when a mysterious ancient book is discovered lurking on the bookstore shelves.

Here's a teaser opening for the story:

The odd book seized Barry Petrovic's attention immediately. Morning sun glinting off a passing bus spot-lit the book in the front display window of the store and he paused. He didn't hear the squeal of the bus brakes nor smell diesel exhaust because seeing the book gave him an all-consuming sense of deja vu. It held him spell-bound. Despite the feeling, Barry was certain he'd never seen the book before. It was thin, at least a quarter the thickness of the other paperbacks beside it, and the spine was a mangy yellow, suggesting two or three decades of shelf life, or more. No, he felt certain that he'd never seen the book before, at least not in the two months he'd managed BK Books, the country's oldest science fiction bookstore. He would have certainly remembered seeing such an old relic among the stacks of newer titles.

For anyone who has read my short story Browsers, you'll know I have a soft side for horror stories that involve books or take place in bookstores. I was delighted when a slightly modified version of Browsers was selected to appear in the forthcoming anthology BOUND FOR EVIL: Curious Tales of Books Gone Bad by Dead Letter Press and was equally joyed when Carol, Michael and I crafted this tale that we set at a fictional Bakka-Phoenix.

The event is going to be fun, and there will be snacks and cookies served at it, not to mention free goodies as well as a chance to win some free books. Yes, that's right, cookies and free books. All you have to do is show up. Gotta love that.

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About Me

Mark Leslie (Lefebvre) is a Canadian author of speculative fiction and paranormal non-fiction, a bookseller and an advocate for books, eBooks and digital technology within publishing. He lives in Hamilton, Ontario.